


Crimson Reverie

by himawaridreams



Category: fault (Visual Novels)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Blood Drinking, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Relationships, F/F, Internal conflict within the vampire community, Mythical Beings & Creatures, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Slow Burn, Suggestive Themes, The ultimate mythology au wingmen fanfic, Witch/vampire romance, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-23 02:43:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8310841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/himawaridreams/pseuds/himawaridreams
Summary: With a world ravaged by territorial disputes between mythical creatures and vampire attacks on the rise daily, not even witches are spared from the chaos ensuing. Rune, a young witch specializing in the apothecary field, always tried to mind her own business. She greatly preferred staying cooped up inside her own village than to venture into the neighboring forest on a monthly supply run. The inevitable came once again for her, however, and she was forced to take an excursion into the forest in which she gathered miscellaneous supplies for her profession.As fate would have it, things don't turn out the way she planned, in more ways than one...





	1. Of first encounters and rain-torn lands

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! I decided to write this fic because I got inspired by the Halloween illustration Hare Konatsu drew for Fault awhile back. Also since Halloween is around the corner, I thought this would be a fitting fic to write. I'm not sure how many chapters this is going to have yet, but please bear with me. Enjoy~ :^)

With a fluttering of light blue pigtails and the slight tousle of a black dress with white frills adorning it, a sole unnamed maiden traversed down a crossroads that appeared to be used often by both vagabonds and natives alike. With dust being kicked up in small clouds on the path behind her, she proceeded on her monthly trek, seemingly quite aware of her surroundings. Frosty blue eyes darting to and fro, the girl cautiously turned onto another fork in the road, clutching a well-worn wooden basket between her white-knuckled hands. Despite having been through these parts frequently, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone with ill intentions was watching her, lying in wait for the perfect moment to pounce.

Another gust of wind tousled her dress once more, as she paused for a instant to safeguard against its assault. After the wind finally started to calm down a bit, she continued on her journey, trying futilely to ignore the growing sense of paranoia imposing upon her. A bout of thunder rumbled lowly in the distance, as if to ridicule her for her heightened feeling of anxiety. Shifting her gaze to the sky, she observed that ominous-looking gray clouds were beginning to form, approaching slowly but surely in the distance. Inhaling quickly, the maiden sped up her pace, hurrying to the location in which she was to gather her supplies.

Before she could proceed any further, however, a sudden whirlwind whooshed in front of her, knocking her off balance. Already not priding herself in her gracefulness, the girl swayed dramatically to the side, stumbling a bit before falling straight on her buttocks. Her basket tumbled out of her hands, veering off to the side and near some bushes off the beaten path. Lifting a hand to her face to try to orient herself to her surroundings again, she was briskly grabbed around her wrist by an unknown figure, being hoisted into the air with inhuman strength.

Letting out a surprised yelp, the girl's witch hat toppled off her head, plopping gently onto the ground-- an irony in this brutish of a situation. Once her vision finally began to focus on the assailant in front of her, a white flash made an unpleasant shiver run down her spine. The whole world seemed to come to a standstill, the object of her most vivid and dark fears materialized right in front of her. Pointy, white teeth were bared menacingly, inching ever closer to her neck. If there was any fight left in her body, this sapped the last remnants of it.

...This was definitely the exact situation she was most afraid of.

Vampires.

The vampire before her was of a stocky sort, burly muscles rippling throughout his arms as he maintained a death grip around her wrist. She always thought that her strength was above average compared to the others in her village, since she had to constantly tote cauldrons and other heavy equipment around daily, but now standing in the presence of an actual vampire, she was swiftly proven wrong. With him holding her captive so firmly like this, the girl could feel pulses of pain reverberating throughout her wrist from the tight grasp. It wouldn't be such a stretch to correlate her to a caged bird-- except without the cage. In the presence of a deadly predator, getting ready to drain her of perhaps all of her blood. With all the horror stories that circulated around her village about vampires, she wouldn't be surprised if this one wasn't any different.

Her free hand growing clammy from all of the tension in the air, she blinked once; twice; three times. If she didn't act now, she could end up like all of those pale and lifeless corpses that seemed to litter the village, family members wracked with sobs as they gathered around their loved one, mourning the loss of life that was so unneeded in this world. She thought back to all of the people she assisted with her apothecary services, watching as sick villagers would come in one day, only to be cured soon after thanks to her remedies that she brewed. Recalling all the happy faces of the townspeople, giggling children frolicking around the gardens in the village, and pets scampering around the village without a worry, she breathed out.

No... this wasn't going to be her last day on this planet. If it must be, then she would first do all she could to prevent it. To protect the wonderful people of the village she so dearly cherished, and to keep the promise she made to her beloved brother!

Mentally willing mana in the atmosphere to gather into the palm of her free hand, a mint-colored orb began to form, humming lightly as it collected energy. This distraction caused the opposing vampire to lose his concentration for a moment, his mouth hanging open limply as he was interrupted. Furrowing her brows as the manakravte began to grow stronger, infusing all the aqua mana she could into this one kravte. Not even a sheer second later, the orb was tinged with droplets of water spinning in tandem around it, preparing to be unleashed. Just as the vampire had time to react, lunging his fangs and body at her to pin her down to the ground, she blessed the kravte.

_"Aquakravte: Monsoon Burst!"_

Crushing her fist together solidly, she shattered the orb to pieces, the droplets of water slithering outward and ascending upwards into the sky. With a loud thunder clap resounding throughout the area, the gray clouds formerly in the far distance rushed forward towards the pair of them, darkening as if filling up to the brink with precipitation. Even though she successfully blessed the kravte, there was still the issue of inertia, the vampire collapsing directly on top of her, fangs still partially exposed. Feeling a pain spread throughout the entirety of her upper body from the pressure. With both she and the vampire face-to-face, her determined blue eyes staring into his fierce crimson ones, she knew her actions from this point on would depend on the outcome of her manakravte.

Waiting patiently for it to truly start, she felt a sense of relief once the first raindrop hit her face. They continued to multiply, until it was an all-out storm taking place, drenching the two of them in water. Lightning struck viciously around them, threatening to pierce them if they remained in the same place any longer. Wind whipped up furiously, swaying the tree's leaves and branches without any prejudice. Realizing that his life would be endangered if he kept attempting to drink his victim's blood, he heaved himself off her frame and dashed away, the effects of the monsoon chasing him all the way back as he sprinted away.

Watching tiredly as his figure faded into the distance, the clouds still lingering over him, her vision was overtaken by an extreme blurriness. She attempted to sit up but a pain shot through her chest, her head pounding and causing her to become dizzy, her body falling back on the now muddy path. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was a flurry of purple hair descending hurriedly near her, a soft, yet wet touch to her forehead hazily reminding her of her mother.

Feeling her eyes begin to close shut, she summoned her very last ounce of energy to call out something unintelligible, reaching out her hand feebly to the mysterious savior before her exhaustion caught up to her at last.

~o~

When she next awakened, she felt the comforting warmth of blankets encompassing her body, her head slightly propped up by a fluffy pillow. Groaning as a bright light hit her eyelids, she carefully opened them, squinting from the sunlight cascading in through her window. Wait... _her_ window?

Sitting up with a start, she turned her head in disbelief to take a gander around her small cottage, seeing that this was indeed her place of residence. Her witch hat was even resting properly on the hook embedded in the wooden slab on the wall, with all of its usual cuteness. All of her things were exactly how she left them, potions scattered about and herb encyclopedias cracked haphazardly open. Running a hand through her long light blue hair, she discovered that there were no tangles or knots in it, either. With a look down, she was dressed in her regular cream nightgown with white lace tracing the collar, no signs of any differences of the fabric or unidentified stains. It was without a doubt this was her own nightgown.

Taking a whiff of the air, she was pleased to notice that the calming lavender incense she lit earlier was still in effect. So... why was it that she was back in her cottage, safe and sound? The last she remembered, she manifested that one aqua manakravte, shooing the vampire away from her and deeper into the forest. She felt a swell of pride at that, since her offensive manakravtes usually don't even follow her orders, fizzling out before she has the chance to bless them. The only thing she's been truly proud of was her expertise in brewing all kinds of remedies for the villagers with more neutral kravtes, them ordinarily turning out the way she wanted them to.

Pushing her blankets to the side and swinging her legs over her bed frame, she spotted a folded note resting upon her bedside table, along with a glass of water beside it. Extending her hand to pick up the glass and tentatively take a small swig of water, she then returned the glass to its original place on her bedside table, now shifting her attention to the folded-up letter awaiting her. Reckoning that this would give her some clues as to her current state of affairs, she unfolded it and began to read the contents eagerly.

_To our dear Miss Rune:_

_There was a courteous young lady with dark purple hair and donning a black cloak that brought you back in to the village just as the sun began to sink beyond the horizon, both of you drenched head-to-toe in water. You wouldn't believe the villagers' surprise seeing this spectacle, deary! I motioned her over to your humble cottage, opening the door with the spare key your older brother entrusted me with for situations such as these. She thanked me, taking this opportunity to lower you down from her hold and set you down on your bed. This was quite the resourceful gal, because she also told me that she had found your treasured witch hat and basket near your unconscious body, telling me to give them to you when you woke up._

_Unfortunately I would have had to been out of the village by the time you awakened, but I returned them to their respective places in your room. I hope you'll forgive me for intruding, deary, but the situation called for it. If you read this note before my returning around noon, please know that I left you breakfast on your dining room table and dusted up a bit for you so you could get some proper rest. You always do so much for us villagers, deary, so please allow us to help you when you're in need of it._

_As for the mystery gal, however... I wasn't able to get much information out of her, but she said just to call her Rita. After making sure you were alright, Rita left just around the time the moon reached its peak, waving to me and also asked me to tell you that she hoped you get better soon. I heard you got attacked by a vampire from Rita... and from her retelling, I could see that you packed quite a punch! But you don't have to risk yourselves for our sake like that, deary... just you being here and helping us when we're ill is enough. As long as we have our health, our spirits are up, and we're unstoppable! Ah, it's almost as if I'm young again if I imagine it like that~_

_Well, deary, that's about it from my end. Take all the time you need to recover, so you can be back to the chipper and energetic Ruru again!_

_With love,_  
_El_

Blinking as she registered the contents of the note, Rune tried to imagine the specific facial features of the stranger who had so graciously saved her. No matter how hard she attempted to recreate the image of Rita with her mind's eye, all she could remember was the frantic swaying of purple hair and the delicate touch to her forehead as her consciousness ebbed out. Would she ever have a chance to meet her again, she wondered? If not, that would be incredibly sad... She would never have the chance to show her heartfelt gratitude to the kind stranger who helped her.

Setting the letter down on her bedside table once again, she directed her gaze to the window streaming in warm sunlight ceaselessly. Rising steadily to her feet, she took one step near the window, and wished that her brother was here to advise her during these times.


	2. The chronicles of eavesdropping, snooping, and being a busybody without repentance

If you were to carelessly meander your way through the forest at night, you would find a keep of both vampires and mythical creatures alike, all coexisting together in relative harmony. Patches of brier would be scattered about, pricking the ankles of those who didn't have any sense of danger. There was the shrill cawing of harpies swooping through the sky, loose feathers descending down to the earth and tickling the noses of whomever were to move into their descent. In the middle of all of the bustling and commotion of the creatures who inhabited the area, a lone stone castle stood erected, its overwhelming presence glowering at those who dared to approach it. Multiple guards of all species were stationed outside the castle walls, watchful eyes scrutinizing anyone who seemed suspicious. Each of them were equipped with a weapon of their choosing, and full sets of gleaming armor accommodating their unique body types.

Striding with a purpose down the paved path towards the castle, a hooded girl with short purple hair locked eyes with one of the guards, them giving a curt nod and allowed her to pass through the towering serpentine gates. Some stragglers behind her whispered and beckoned to her in awe, the crowd abuzz with murmurs of "Is that really her?" or variations of the name "Ritona" travelling throughout the town square. As soon as she safely crossed behind the gates, she lifted her hands upwards to lower her hood, vivid purple hair splaying out in its full splendor atop her black cloak. Proceeding into the castle, she heaved a out a sigh, the hollow sound of the iron door closing shut behind her echoing all through the main hall.

Before she even had time to relax, however, a loud bounding of footsteps was heard down the burgundy-carpeted hall at the peak of the stairwell, the floorboards evidently being assaulted just judging by the rampant creaking that followed. Ritona vaguely wondered when that spot would finally be repaired, preparing to focus her gaze on the bundle of girlish energy that would soon make her grand appearance. Without missing a beat, the girl of the hour swerved around the bend in the wallpaper-ridden wall, her sparkling red pumps coming to an abrupt halt at the highest step of the stairway. Wavy blonde hair making a wide pirouette behind her from the sudden movement, she performed an over-exaggerated turn on her heel to face the new arrival at the bottom of the stairs, deep crimson eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Ritona, you're back!" the regal blonde-haired girl called out cheerfully, as if it wasn't the most obvious thing in the world. Hopping onto the dark wooden banister of the stairwell, she promptly slid down the railing, the silk fabric of her maroon dress gliding along with ease. Once she bumped into the wooden sphere marking the end of her joyride, she pushed herself off the rigid balustrade, walking around the post of the railing and nearing her friend.

Chuckling, Ritona watched this all unfold before her very eyes with amusement, feeling some solace that her childhood friend had still remained the same sprightly princess since before she had left. Placing a gloved hand on her head fondly, the blonde-haired girl melted into the touch, closing her eyes in bliss as she indulged in the great joy that were head rubs. After a few moments of this, Ritona replied, "Yeah, I'm back, Selphine."

With Ritona's hand being removed from her head, Selphine leveled her gaze to Ritona's, head tilting upwards. "So, how did the mission go?" A mischievous twinkle in her eye emerging, she continued, "Any... blue-haired witches you rescued, by any chance?"

Knowing that she had successfully struck a nerve in her royal guardian, Ritona was briefly taken aback, pupils widening in both shock and bewilderment. Recovering just as quickly, she cleared her throat, retorting in the most casual way possible. "And who gave you that information?"

Tapping an index finger to her lips, Selphine batted her eyelashes innocently, as if she wasn't a key part of some big scheme against her. "Oh, nobody... Just maybe somebody by the name of Misha, maybe?"

 _Ah, so that was it..._ Ritona mused to herself, moving to pull the cotton drawstrings of her cloak, effectively loosening it and transferring the discarded piece of clothing to the crook of her elbow. "So, was Misha on lookout duty again, I presume?"

"Ding ding ding, you're correct, dear royal guardian of mine!" Selphine confirmed in a peppy tone, but then as if she had a sudden revelation, declared with vigor, "However!"

"However?" Ritona asked wearily, internally hoping her friend would get to the point soon.

Inhaling deeply as her eyes closed, Selphine clasped both of her hands together in front of her face, back arching rearwards while she focused on drawing all the air she could into her lungs. Once she was satisfied with the lung capacity she achieved, she spoke at an insane speed in one solid burst of air, "However, I didn't get that information from Misha, precisely. I mean, in a way I did, but Misha got it from Riggs and Riggs got it from Flora! So technically, all of this information is coming from Flora."

Eye twitching slightly at the mention of Flora's name, Ritona automatically grasped the gravity of her current predicament. Flora, a succubus who was unmistakably the biggest flirt in the keep, always pestered Ritona about when she would finally find a lover, as she was apparently going to "spend the rest of her immortal life single" if her bachelorette tendencies continued. Being the resident intelligence agent of the castle's staff, Flora had a perpetual tendency of poking her nose where it wasn't supposed to be, taking particular delight in dabbling in Ritona's love life. There hasn't been a single person that she's been associated with that Flora would ask if she was dating, a smug grin on her face the whole time.

Rubbing her temple as she felt an abrupt headache on the rise, she sighed heavily. "Alright. Just whatever you do, don't let Flora get involved in this, Selphine. I feel like she would do something incredibly drastic if she did." Thinking back to the state that the blue-haired witch was in when she left, Ritona felt a momentary pang of worry. Humans aren't as resilient as vampires are, so she wondered if she was entirely alright... Even if she did have a surplus of prowess for manakravte, that doesn't necessarily mean that her body was more sturdy because of that.

"Hmm... Well, I'll try my best to prevent Flora from interfering, but you know how that girl is... Ahaha...~" Selphine responded weakly, uncertainty flashing over her crimson eyes. Just as she was about to say something else, a woman with dusty blonde hair tied tautly into a ponytail appeared in the doorway leading into the parlor, dressed in a manner that would suggest she was a high-ranking official. Steely dull red eyes concentrating on the princess, she opened her mouth to deliver her announcement.

"Princess Selphine, your father has requested to speak with you in his study chamber. I would suggest you depart now, lest you become tardy."

Gulping nervously, Selphine adjusted her black headband embedded beauteously with rhinestones, and nodded. "Yes, Miss Lhoa! I'll be there right away!" Bidding a quick wave to her unfortunate royal guardian friend, she called out as she began to head through the parlor entrance, "I'll see you later, Ritona! I'm sure that Flora won't do anything too bad... hopefully!" With her valiant attempt at cheering up Ritona passing, Selphine followed dutifully behind Lhoa, disappearing into the distance.

Now left to her own devices in the giant entrance hall of the castle, Ritona decided to pay a little visit to her... "compatriot"... Flora, just to make certain that she wouldn't trouble the blue-haired witch in any way. The heels of her brown leather boots clacking against the spacious white and gold marble tiles, she made her way to the main intelligence archive, where Flora would without a doubt be lying in wait. That was the place where she chose to spend most of her time, after all. With her passion being extremely meddlesome into other people's business, this career might as well be her dream job. No, she was _destined_ to have this job. As far as Ritona was concerned, she could get married to her damn intelligence-gathering job and maybe she would finally lessen up on going completely haywire on her love life.

After many twists and turns and loops through multiple corridors, Ritona reached the front of a rustic iron-bound door, it being quite eerie and intimidating if you were to discover it for the first time. For Ritona, however, this was not her first time. Stealthily making her way over to the door in question, an rough etching could be observed in the iron of the door, resembling the initial of "F.S." Rapping on the door quite vociferously, Ritona only gave her a few moments of notice before she made her admission known, a grave expression worn on her face.

The inside of the archive was just as macabre as the entrance, a dimly-lit atmosphere provided by dripping wax candles casting shadows off of stacks and stacks of dusty books with decrepit leather bindings. Files packed to the brim with information on targets were lined up neatly on bookshelves, stray papers and colorful sticky notes peeking out from a few of them. World maps that were rough and peeling at the edges were taped up sloppily on the stone walls, red ink scribbled over continents and locales with "X" marks and circles littering the premises of it.

Taking one step into the lion's den, Ritona's boot met numerous crumpled-up papers on the floor, the remnants of plans that were most likely abandoned by the creator for being less than satisfactory. Carefully navigating her way through the dungeon-like archives, she arrived at a sizable black leather chair that was swiveling around listlessly behind a work desk, an abundance of red hair obscurely seen from the spot Ritona was standing from. With a couple more determined steps, Ritona was directly in front of the desk of the culprit who was behind the information leak, the black leather chair still turned stubbornly away from her.

Immediately upon opening her mouth to speak, Flora swiveled her chair around to face the royal guardian, her arms crossed uniformly over each other as a smirk crept her way onto her features. "Ah, if it isn't Miss Ritona "I'm Totally Not In Love With The Blue-Haired Witch" Reighnvhasta! What a pleasure to see you here in my office. Have you finally decided to find yourself a partner... and a _human_ , at that? My, my... Our Ritona sure is growing bold lately!"

Ritona sighed irritatingly, for perhaps the umpteenth time today. Before she could even entertain a response to this unbelievable succubus, Flora dove another step further in the unannounced contest to make Ritona completely lose her temper."Are you getting a bit more provocative in your desire to drink human blood; and from a live subject, as well?"

"I don't even have an answer to your preposterous accusations." Ritona countered, the last shreds of her sanity turning to ash by the minute, "All I did was encounter a human witch who was direly in need of assistance after a distasteful vampire assault. I harbor no romantic feelings for this girl whatsoever, so will you please just let it go, Flora?"

Groaning in defeat, Flora let her body retreat halfheartedly into her chair, head leaning back against the upper cushion as she squinted forlornly at the one who so strenuously denied her notions. "Fine, fine. I'm just trying to help, you know, Ritona. We can't have you being the pitiable bachelorette who serves the crown princess forever, right?"

"I am _not_ pitiable!"

Waggling her index finger around in partial victory, Flora teasingly returned, "Oh, so you admit that you're a bachelorette, then?"

Biting down on her tongue to contain the string of curses that were about to exit her mouth, Ritona whirled around on her heel, fists clenched and practically fuming. She came here with good intentions, but she should have known that the intelligence agent would exercise everything in her power to push her to her mental limits. Reprimanding herself inwardly for thinking this was a plausible idea, she quipped one last thing venomously before she left, "Says the succubus who only fancies herself with one-night stands and sexual escapades."

Placing a hand over her chest in a mock offended manner, Flora digressed sneeringly, "At least I actually get some, unlike Miss Prudish over here, who somehow believes she's above everyone else!"

Without another word to the instigation, Ritona absconded from the intelligence archives, taking deep breaths to try to cool her head. That despicable succubus always managed to make her lose her composure, no matter how levelheaded she initially was. All she hoped that was she gave her a sufficient enough warning to steer clear of dragging the blue-haired witch into her little matchmaking games.

~o~

With the clamorous noise of the iron-bound door slamming shut resounding throughout the archives, Flora turned her attention to a particularly thick file lying dormant on her desk. Extending a hand out to it, she flipped it open without hesitation, a pleased expression spreading across her countenance.

"...Rune, hmm~?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, the wingmen games begin... :^)


	3. Preludes of the aforementioned domino effect

On the inside of an antiquated study chamber, two voices could be heard speaking in hushed tones between each other. One was like the dawn of an early spring morning, invigorating as the beams of sun, but also young and foolhardy. The second could be compared to the late night of winter, articulate like each snowflake falling, yet mature and wise. It seemed to be an open discussion between the pair, both having clashing ideas on the subject matter they conferred. Just as winter eventually gives way to spring, however, this frost would also melt away into a new perspective.

Selphine stood adamantly before her father in the middle of his study chamber, satiny royal blue curtains drawn back for glistening moonlight to expose the resoluteness of her visage. Crimson eyes catching the rays of the moonlight as she firmly yet silently persevered in the tense atmosphere, she began to advance once more. "Father, you've heard how aggressive the rebel vampires have been getting lately, right? If we as the royal family don't set an example soon, we'll be plummeting to a point of no return. Plus, all of those needless drainings of the local humans have been getting out of hand! It's barbaric, it's wrong, and it's a just a violation of mora--" 

Raising a hand to motion for his daughter to halt her speech, Selphine reluctantly stopped, casting her gaze downwards dejectedly. "I am aware of that, my dear one. But things are not as simple as you would think." Adjusting his wide-framed glasses with a flourish of his fingers, Vhalar continued, "Over the course of many decades, vampires have began to fester grudges against the humans. Whether the reason for this being vastly varied, the most common reasons are blame and resentment. To calm the violent storms of negative emotions brewing within them, some vampires turn to acting out on humans; an extreme example would be the fatal drainings you mentioned."

Gnawing on her bottom lip tentatively, Selphine recalled all of the reports of humans trusting vampires increasingly less. Some particularly harrowing reports detailed vampires being captured by hateful humans, only to be impaled through the heart by a silver dagger during merciless executions, killing them instantly. Both sides had their faults, but if this quarreling went on, an unprecedented disaster that would be too grievous to even imagine could occur. Selphine definitely didn't want that... and she would do everything in her authority to put an end to it.

"Yes, father... but isn't there some option that I could take to help our people? I want to be a princess worthy of respect and honor; I can't just sit idle here while vampires and humans elongate this pointless conflict!" Slightly surprised by the level her voice raised to, Selphine resumed remaining reticent, digging her nails into her palms. She despised feeling so useless like this... she just wanted to do something so she could prove her value as the princess of the Rughzenhaide keep. 

Ritona was always rushing around protecting her and caring for her well being, Misha was tasked with various lookout duties for the keep while also juggling his cooking training, Riggs did all sorts of handiwork for the keep and dealt with the construction of structures around the area, and Flora dug deep for enemies' essential information, risking her own safety just to perform her work. King Vhalar was of course the reigning king of the domain, but he also served a key role as Selphine's loving father. Thinking of all these wonderful and talented people in her life, Selphine began to feel restless in her position of princess, desperately wishing for some opportunity so she could contribute to the happiness of her subjects.

Closing his eyes in thought for a moment, Vhalar opened them again shortly afterwards, with a new suggestion in mind. "Then how about we set an example, Selphine?"

"An example?" Selphine inquired, tilting her head to the side marginally in confusion. 

Nodding in confirmation, a tender smile danced merrily upon his lips. "Yes. If you want to make change, Selphine, you must first initiate it. My proposal is that when you eat your meals, you should drink only animal blood along with them, not human blood. In doing this, you will light the first spark of a cultural revolution, and if you are successful, a trend will soon follow. This will not only gain the trust of the humans, but weigh lightly upon your morals that you treasure with all your heart, dear one." 

Mouth hanging slightly agape at the profound resolution, Selphine's previously gloomy mood brightened up considerably. Clapping her hands together excitedly, Selphine grinned ear-to-ear, absolutely elated at the proposition her father had so kindly offered to her. "Yes, I think that plan will work without a hitch, father! However, just to make sure it doesn't fall through, I'll recruit a few of my friends to participate in it with me~."

With the formerly dreary atmosphere of the old study chamber now clearing up, Selphine moved around the large desk to give a hug to her father, wrapping her arms around his torso with familiar ease. Her head resting softly on his shoulder, she spoke steadfastly into the fabric of his shirt, "I promise that I'll make this plan work. For our keep, for the inhabitants that live there, and for the humans that were dragged into this mess."

Lifting a calloused hand up to Selphine's hair, Vhalar stroked the long golden strands gingerly, and murmured in a voice that only his daughter would be able to acknowledge, "I know that you will, Selphine. I'm proud of you."

~o~

The moon soldiered on languidly through the dark night, waning among the sea of stars that were dispersed far and wide along the fibers of the universe. Ritona lounged on the wooden window seat of her room, body stretched across an abundance of down-filled pillows that cushioned her from touching the austere surface underneath. Her thoughts swam nebulously within her mind, jumping between the multitude of events that partook throughout the day. Flora's nasty jabs lingered at the forefront of her consciousness, uneasiness prickling into her nervous system as she wondered if Flora would truly not do anything rash.

A boisterous knock at the door suddenly lured her out of her anxious state, and she reluctantly slunk away from her window seat, shifting her legs to hang from the edge of it. Taking a look at the closed rosewood bedroom door, she permitted loudly enough so that the entree could hear, "Come in." 

Quieted by the carpet sliding below it, the door swung open without as much as a creak, revealing a tall, brawny man still dressed in his work clothes for the day. Dirt and grind were peppered all throughout his white linen shirt, while well-used denim overalls were slung haphazardly over his wide build. Ducking slightly to proceed beyond the door frame, he walked in gruffly, arms crossed and a fatigued expression upon his features; this was most likely due to participating in heavy labor the whole day. Sturdy leather work boots tromping across the room, he made his way over to Ritona, clearly with a purpose in mind judging by the resolute glint in his eyes.

Once he was satisfied with the proximity he gained, he acknowledged the girl before him with a polite nod. Returning the gesture, Ritona smiled amiably, deciding to greet him first. "Good evening, Riggs. The full moon sure is getting close, no?" 

"You're right about that." Riggs responded easily, gaze lifting over to the near-full moon peeking tranquilly through the window. "Shouldn't be long now until I start feeling the effects of it." Scratching behind his ear casually, he then rested his gaze upon Ritona, fixating in particular on the fangs showing themselves through the gap between her lips. "And you as well, Ritona."

Placing her fingers knowingly on her fangs for a moment, she could feel the sharpness of her fangs grazing the plush skin beneath them, threatening to draw blood if nudged just a single inch further. Retracting her fingers from their previous spot, Ritona replied breezily, "Yes, I'll be careful. Thanks for your concern, Riggs."

Lowering her hands into her lap, she raised an eyebrow questioningly at her old friend, before asking, "Is that all you wanted to talk to me about, or is there something more that you haven't said yet?" 

"Yes, there is." Riggs confirmed without hesitation, returning his arms to their previously-crossed position. "I heard that Flora was going around heckling you again over your own affairs, so I wanted to check and see if you were alright. I know for certain that I wouldn't want Flora to start getting involved in my own business. After all, we both know that girl is an expert at gathering information from any sort of case, be it professional or personal."

Oh, yes. That Flora definitely was an unrivaled master at what she did, but for even Riggs to chastise her for overstepping her boundaries, Ritona knew that Flora had went way too far. She did feel touched that he would come to check up on her, though... She caught wind of Riggs pushing himself exceedingly hard to complete a recent building project in the keep-- a new inn to lodge all the travelers that were passing through as of late. The traffic seemed to pick up considerably around full moon times, and the huge crowd promenading about the town square earlier proved that point.

"I'm fine, it's just that as you said, Flora is back at it again with her usual mischief. Selphine informed me earlier that Flora had told you, her, and Misha about how I assisted the blue-haired witch yesterday. She seems to be hell-bent on the preposterous idea that I developed romantic feelings for this girl, despite the fact I've only met her once. Plus, even if I did hold such feelings for this girl, I doubt she would entertain them seeing the tensions between vampires and humans as of late."

Riggs hummed a sound of agreement, knowing how turbulent the relations between humans and vampires have been recently. It would be a lie to say there were no disputes between other mythical creatures and humans, but the vampires really appeared to be the prevalent factor this time. He would genuinely feel remorse for Ritona if she were to establish romantic feelings for the witch, since she would probably refuse to return such frivolities with a vampire. So then why would Flora go to such lengths if she was aware of all of these complexities?

"Well, all I can say is for you to be extremely careful, Ritona. I know that you've stated that you harbor no romantic intentions for this girl, but you never know how or when love can strike you whilst you remain defenseless. History has shown that the only things awaiting those who surrender to interracial contact between humans and mythical creatures are heartache and misery."

Pupils widening in astonishment from the unexpected revelation that Riggs professed, Ritona suddenly took an acute interest in the gold-threaded material weaving in-and-out on the bottom of her black evening gown. The drabness of his words settled dully in her stomach, like a heavy weight taking a toll upon her emotional state. Of course she knew the unbridled truth behind the words that Riggs had so genuinely offered to her, but it still didn't sit well with her.

"I know. Thank you, Riggs."

With an impression of finality lingering in her tone, Riggs took that as his time to depart, stepping back over to the door. With one last cautionary glance over his shoulder, he walked out into the hallway, the light from various lamps outside casting long shadows into the world of twilight inside her bedroom. He smiled at her-- whether it was out of pity or of authentic goodhearted nature, Ritona was uncertain. 

Along with a soft click, the room was delved into darkness once again, the only source of brightness streaming in from the almost-full moon floating among the stars outside her window. Picking up her legs from dangling over the edge of the window seat, she allowed her body to topple onto her side, a section of purple hair flaring out in an arc next to her head. Knees being pulled up to her chin, her eyelids began to flutter shut lazily, eyelashes attempting to filter out the living space before her. Drowsiness began to fill up her entire being, stretching from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes, enveloping her in the very definition of laxness.

As she finally began to drift to sleep, a placid rain pitter-pattered within her dreams, falling on her body tranquilly and silencing all of her fears. A refreshing breeze traveled through the area, wind chimes tinkling in the distance, creating a pleasant melody accompanying the complete calm of the atmosphere. The smell of fresh lilacs met her nose, and she took in the scent with extraordinary ease. A hand stroked her head domestically, carding fingers through her hair as if they had been through this motion hundreds of times. The lap of someone of whom she was unsure of-- though, from how she wasn't resisting their displays of affection, she was sure that this person was special -- rested underneath her head, a warm and unconditional love spreading throughout all of her senses. 

She had never felt so at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I would add in a reference to the wind chime from fault milestone two: side above near the end of this chapter. Hats off to you if you got it!

**Author's Note:**

> If you ever want to talk with me about Fault, my askbox on Tumblr is always open! My url on there is ritzyvhasta. This fandom is very small, so we must band together to survive. :^(


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